Over 40 years of chart-topping songs, Grammy Award considerations, and a gigantic discography hit the stage in Stockbridge for the Jimmy “Jam” Harris, III, and Terry Lewis and Friends concert at VyStar Amphitheater at the Bridge.
The iconic duo has written or produced hit songs across nearly every genre since the early ’80s. Saturday’s concert took the audience on a musical journey of those songs with some of the artists they worked with over the years.
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Jimmy Jam told the story of how he and Lewis became legendary songwriters and producers. “Back in 1983, we came down to Atlanta to produce a group called the SOS Band,” said Jimmy Jam. “Unfortunately, there was a snowstorm and we missed our flight to our next Time gig, okay. So Prince fired us, or as Terry likes to say, Prince freed us.”
With their newfound freedom, they produced a Top Ten hit. “Just Be Good to Me” rocketed up the charts and has been covered, sampled, and remixed by other artists over the last four decades. The album “On the Rise” contained another Top Ten hit that was a must-have for any slow jam mix tape – “Tell Me If You Still Care”.
Shouts of “Alright now” from the crowd filled the air as the distinctive intro from the synthesizer dropped, and band trumpeter and male lead vocalist Abdul Ra’oof walked onto the stage. Lead vocalist Mary Davis joined the set midway through the smash hit to the surprise of the audience. The group’s lead female vocalist, who had suffered a stroke in 2020 and celebrated her 81st birthday two weeks before the show, sang from her soul. IYKYK.
The journey through Time continued with gospel artist Yolanda Adams. The former Houston school teacher took this writer back 30 years to Six Flags/Astroworld when Pastor John P. Kee invited her onstage at a concert that also featured a new group, Kirk Franklin and God’s Property. Three years later, she recorded her smash hit “Open My Heart” with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Adams explained the obstacles the trio had to overcome to work together. “I was supposed to be on Chris Baker’s record,” said Adams. “And somehow I was still locked in a contract. And once the folks found out that Jimmy and Terry were interested in me, all of a sudden, my contract had two more records on it. The songstress opened her set with a blessing for the audience, performing her newest project with the songwriting-producers titled “Sunny Days” for the first time.
Cherrelle took the stage next. She was joined by Reuben Studdard on the classic duet “Saturday Love”. The hits just kept hitting – Deborah Cox, MC Lyte, Chante Moore, Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block), Ann Nesby (Sounds of Blackness), and lastly Morris Day and Jerome Benton from the group The Time.
Before the final two performers took the stage and after a lot of speculation about who the surprise guest was going to be, Usher Raymond began singing from his seat next to the stage. It was officially party time, Atlanta style. The producing duo’s fingerprints are all over some of the superstar’s greatest hits, including “U Remind Me”, “Bad Girl”, and “U Got It Bad”.
Jimmy Jam thanked Usher for following through and making space to work with them. The team first worked with Usher on the song “I Swear I’m In Love” that appeared on the soundtrack for the 1996 film Kazaam starring Shaquille O’Neal.
That is what is so great about good music. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard a hit song for the very first time. The audience definitely traveled through time by the end of the night. They enjoyed themselves so much that the amphitheater staff had to gently coax them towards the exits.